Intelligent barrier-free kiosk and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

Provided is a method of controlling an intelligent barrier-free kiosk including: recognizing a moving object, which is within a preset distance from the kiosk and is approaching the kiosk; learning characteristic information of the recognized moving object; determining, based on a result of the learning, whether a user related to the moving object intends to use the kiosk; and, based on determining that the user intends to use the kiosk, changing a height of the kiosk.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0184245 filed on Dec. 21, 2021 andNo. 10-2021-0185482 filed on Dec. 22, 2021, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a kiosk and a method of controllingthe kiosk, and more particularly, to an intelligent barrier-free kioskcapable of appropriately operating in response to an approaching user,and a method of controlling the intelligent barrier-free kiosk.

2. Description of the Related Art

The term ‘kiosk’ refers to a device that is installed to be fixed at acertain location and may receive a user’s input and output variouspieces of information. Kiosks may be classified, depending on theirimplementations, into self-ordering machines that receive a user’s inputand automatically process a product order procedure, and interactivekiosks that receive a user’s input and display information.

Kiosks have been generally installed inside places of business to reducelabor costs, but as non-face-to-face services have increasedsignificantly due to COVID-19, a significant number of kiosks have beeninstalled in various places to efficiently provide information, as wellas places of business for selling products.

In particular, as access to smart devices has been greatly expanded,barrier-free kiosks designed for the disabled or the elderly who havedifficulty in quickly perceiving information are also coming intowidespread use, and barrier-free kiosks typically include a heightadjustment function.

A barrier-free kiosk with a height adjustment function implements heightadjustment with a stepping motor or a sliding rail, and, as its heightis repeatedly adjusted according to inputs of numerous users, thestepping motor or the sliding rail of the barrier-free kiosk mayfrequently break down.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is to provide a barrier-free kiosk configured toadjust its height only when necessary.

In addition, the present disclosure is to provide a kiosk capable ofimproving convenience according to a user’s physical condition.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is amethod of controlling an intelligent barrier-free kiosk including:recognizing a moving object, which is within a preset distance from thekiosk and is approaching the kiosk; learning characteristic informationof the recognized moving object; determining, based on a result of thelearning, whether a user related to the moving object intends to use thekiosk; and, based on determining that the user intends to use the kiosk,changing a height of the kiosk.

In the method, the learning may include learning the characteristicinformation based on information obtained by photographing the movingobject by using at least one camera included in the kiosk.

In the method, the learning may include learning the characteristicinformation based on information obtained by photographing the movingobject by using at least one of cameras installed on a front and a sideof the kiosk.

In the method, the moving object may be the user, and the recognizedcharacteristic information of the moving object may be a height of theuser.

In the method, the moving object may be the user, and the recognizedcharacteristic information of the moving object may be information abouteyes of the user.

In the method, the information about the eyes may include at least oneof information about an iris and focus information with respect to thekiosk.

In the method, the changing of the height may include: calculating,based on the result of the learning, a height optimized for the user;and adjusting the height of the kiosk to be the calculated height.

In the method, the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject may include information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the determining of whether the user intends to usethe kiosk may include determining, based on a ratio between theinformation about the front and the information about other than thefront, whether the user intends to use the kiosk.

In the method, the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject may include information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the determining of whether the user intends to usethe kiosk may include determining, based on an amount of the informationabout other than the front, whether the user intends to use the kiosk.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is akiosk including a camera and a processor, wherein the camera isconfigured to recognize and photograph a moving object, which is withina preset distance from the kiosk and is approaching the kiosk, and theprocessor is configured to learn characteristic information of therecognized moving object, determine, based on a result of the learning,whether a user related to the moving object intends to use the kiosk,and, based on determining that the user intends to use the kiosk, changea height of the kiosk.

In the kiosk, the processor may be further configured to learn thecharacteristic information based on information obtained byphotographing the moving object by using at least one camera included inthe kiosk.

In the kiosk, the processor may be further configured to learn thecharacteristic information based on information obtained byphotographing the moving object by using at least one of camerasinstalled on a front and a side of the kiosk.

In the kiosk, the moving object may be the user, and the recognizedcharacteristic information of the moving object may be a height of theuser.

In the kiosk, the moving object may be the user, and the recognizedcharacteristic information of the moving object may be information abouteyes of the user.

In the kiosk, the information about the eyes may include at least one ofinformation about an iris and focus information with respect to thekiosk.

In the kiosk, the processor may be further configured to calculate,based on the result of the learning, a height optimized for the user,and adjust the height of the kiosk to be the calculated height.

In the kiosk, the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject may include information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the processor may be further configured to determine,based on a ratio between the information about the front and theinformation about other than the front, whether the user intends to usethe kiosk.

In the kiosk, the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject may include information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the processor may be further configured to determine,based on an amount of the information about other than the front,whether the user intends to use the kiosk.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is acomputerreadable recording medium having recorded thereon a program forexecuting the method.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is amethod including: obtaining user approach information from a firstsensor; obtaining a height value of the user from a second sensor;matching the height value of the user with one of preset height valueranges; and determining a height of the kiosk corresponding to theheight value range matched with the height value.

In the method, the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height valuerange matched with the height value may be determined based on aposition of an input pad unit provided in the kiosk.

In the method, the determining of the height of the kiosk may include:obtaining the position of the input pad unit and determining a heightadjustment value of the kiosk corresponding to the obtained position;determining a height of the kiosk by applying the height adjustmentvalue to the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height value rangematched with the height value.

In the method, the determining of the height of the kiosk may include:calculating, based on the position of the input pad unit, a heightdifference between the height value of the user and the height of theinput pad unit; matching the height difference value with one of presetheight ranges, and determining a kiosk height adjustment valuecorresponding to the height range matched with the height differencevalue; and determining the height of the kiosk by applying the heightadjustment value to the height of the kiosk corresponding to the heightrange matched with the height difference value.

The method may further include: after the determining of the height ofthe kiosk, receiving a signal for requesting protrusion of the input padunit provided in the kiosk, and generating a signal for protrusion ofthe input pad unit; and determining, based on the user approachinformation, an inclination of the protruding input pad unit.

In the method, the determining of the inclination of the input pad unitmay include calculating, based on the user approach information, aheight and an arm length of the user, and determining, based on theheight of the kiosk and the height and the arm length of the user, anangle of the protruding input pad unit.

The method may further include: after the determining of the height ofthe kiosk, determining whether there is a change in the approachinformation; and, when there is a change in the approach information,redetermining the height of the kiosk based on the change.

In the method, the approach information may include user detectioninformation for the user who is within a preset radius, and a distancebetween the user and the kiosk.

According to another embodiment of th e present disclosure, provided isa server for providing an operation method of a kiosk device including:a communication unit configured to perform communication; a memorystoring at least one program; and a processor configured to execute theat least one program to perform an operation, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the at least one program to obtain userapproach information from a first sensor, obtain a height value of auser from a second sensor, match the height value of the user with oneof preset height value ranges, and determine a height of the kioskcorresponding to the height value range matched with the height value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall appearance ofan example of a kiosk according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating an operationmethod of a kiosk according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control system ofFIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating in detail another example of aprocessor of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing in detail an example of a secondinput device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for describing in detail operationcharacteristics of a data learning unit of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an embodiment further expanded fromthe embodiment of FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a case in which a moving object doesnot match a user;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method forcontrolling a kiosk according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a method of determining a heightof a kiosk according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a kiosk, the height ofwhich is adjusted based on the height of a user and the position of aninput pad unit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an overall operating method of akiosk according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an interface screen of a display of akiosk according to whether an input pad protrudes, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As the present disclosure allows for various changes and numerousembodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawingsand described in detail. The effects and features of the presentdisclosure and methods of achieving them will become clear withreference to the embodiments described in detail below with thedrawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to theembodiments disclosed below, and may be implemented in various forms.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same orcorresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numeralswhen described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and thustheir descriptions that are already provided will be omitted.

As used herein, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., are used only todistinguish one component from another, and such components must not belimited by these terms.

The singular expression used herein also includes the plural meaning aslong as it is not inconsistent with the context.

The terms “comprises,” “includes,” “has”, and the like used hereinspecify the presence of stated features or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features orcomponents.

When a certain embodiment may be differently implemented, specificoperations may be performed differently from the sequence describedherein. For example, two processes, which are successively describedherein, may be substantially simultaneously performed, or may beperformed in a process sequence opposite to a described processsequence.

Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the term ‘kiosk’ is consideredas an intelligent barrier-free kiosk.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall appearance ofan example of a kiosk according to the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a kiosk 100 according to the present inventionincludes a stand 110, a main module 120, a display unit 130, a heightadjustment unit 140, a front camera 150A, a first side camera 150B, afirst input device 160A, a second input device 160B, a third inputdevice 160C, and a sound output unit 170. Although not shown in FIG. 1 ,the kiosk 100 may further include a second side camera (not shown) on aside opposite to the first side camera 150B. FIG. 1 schematicallyillustrates only the components of the kiosk 100 necessary to implementthe present disclosure, and in an actual implementation of the presentdisclosure, more modules than those illustrated in FIG. 1 may be furtherincluded.

The stand 110 may determine the overall height of the kiosk 100, and maybe electrically connected to the main module 120 to supply power to themain module 120. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , the stand 110 mayinclude a battery or a power cable therein or outside for supplyingpower to the main module 120. In addition, the stand 110 may supplypower to the first side camera 150B and the second side camera 150C, andmay collect images captured by the first side camera 150B and the secondside camera 150C, and transmit the images to the main module 120.

The main module 120 is electrically connected to the stand 110 toreceive power, and includes various input/output devices for performingthe function of a kiosk. In detail, the main module 120 may include thedisplay unit 130, the height adjustment unit 140, the front camera 150A,the first side camera 150B, the first input device 160A, the secondinput device 160B, the third input device 160C and the sound output unit170, and according to an embodiment, at least one of the above-describedmodules may be omitted. The main module 120 electrically connected tothe stand 110 may be moved up or down by the height adjustment unit 140to be described below.

The display unit 130 may visually output a result of processing by themain module 120. In detail, the display unit 130 may be, but is notlimited to, any one of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display, aliquid-crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), alight-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, afield-emission display (FED), a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), anelectrophoretic display (EPD), an electrochromic display (ECD), and anelectroluminescent display (ELD), for outputting a result of processingby the main module 120. According to an embodiment, the display unit 130may be implemented as a touchscreen display to also function as an inputdevice, in which case, the first input device 160A may be omitted fromthe kiosk 100.

The height adjustment unit 140 refers to a module that adjusts thedistance between the ground and the lower end of the main module 120 byadjusting the position of the main module 120 in the vertical directionin a state in which the main module 120 is electrically connected to thestand 110. For convenience of description, in the present disclosure,the distance between the ground and the lower end of the main module 120may be simply referred to as ‘the height of the main module 120’. Theheight of the main module 120 may vary depending on characteristicinformation of a user using the kiosk. For example, in a case in whichthe height of the user using the kiosk is 1.8 m, the height adjustmentunit 140 may raise the height of the main module 120 to match the heightof the user, and, in a case in which the height of the user using thekiosk is 1.4 m, the height adjustment unit 140 may lower the height ofthe main module 120 to match the height of the user.

The front camera 150A may photograph an object in front of the kiosk100, and transmit a result of the photographing to a processor (notshown) included in the main module 120. Although FIG. 1 illustrates thatthe front camera 150A is included in the main module 120, according toan embodiment, the front camera 150A may be included in the stand 110.

Each of the first side camera 150B and the second side camera (notshown) may photograph an object located on the side of the kiosk 100,and transmit a result of the photographing to the processor (not shown)included in the main module 120. Although it is described above that thefirst side camera 150B and the second side camera (not shown) areincluded in the stand 110, according to an embodiment, the first sidecamera 150B and the second side camera (not shown) may be installed atsides of the main module 120, respectively. In addition, although notshown in FIG. 1 , a rear camera (not shown) may be further installed atthe rear of the kiosk 100.

The first input device 160A refers to a keypad that converts a physicalinput by the user into an electrical signal, and transmits theelectrical signal to the processor (not shown). The first input device160A is an input device used by general users, and although FIG. 1illustrates that a total of 20 keys are included in the first inputdevice 160A, the number of keys included in the first input device 160Ais not limited thereto.

The second input device 160B refers to a braille pad that converts aphysical input by the user into an electrical signal and transmits theelectrical signal to the processor (not shown). The second input device160B may be effectively used by a visually impaired person, and forconvenience of description, it is named as ‘input device’, but mayactually include an output function as well as an input function. Forexample, the second input device 160B outputs braille corresponding to aresult of processing by the main module 120 such that a visuallyimpaired person recognizes content output from the kiosk 100. Structuralfeatures of the second input device 160B will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 5 .

The third input device 160C refers to an input device that converts avoice input by the user into an electrical signal and transmits theelectrical signal to the processor (not shown). For example, the thirdinput device 160C may be a microphone.

The sound output unit 170 refers to a device that outputs a result ofprocessing by the main module 120, as a sound such as a voice or a soundeffect. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the main module 120 includestwo sound output units 170 symmetric with each other, according to anembodiment, the main module 120 may include fewer or more sound outputunits 170. Also, the sound output unit 170 may be implemented to beincluded in the stand 110 instead of the main module 120. In particular,the sound output unit 170 may be an effective output unit for a visuallyimpaired person.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the height adjustment unit 140 isimplemented with a sliding rail such that the height of the stand 110 isnot changed even when the entire main module 120 is vertically moved bythe height adjustment unit 140, according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the height adjustment unit 140 may be implementedwith a stepping motor in a state in which the stand 110 and the mainmodule 120 are integrated with each other, such that the overall heightof the stand 110 is changed according to the height adjusted by theheight adjustment unit 140.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating an operationmethod of a kiosk according to the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an entire kiosk system 20 adjusts the height ofthe main module 120 included in the kiosk 100 by recognizing a movingobject 21 approaching the kiosk 100 by using a plurality of cameras210A, 210B, and 210C, and processing a result of the recognizing.Hereinafter, descriptions will be provided with reference to FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 2 , the moving object 21 may generally be a person, but may notbe a person according to an embodiment, which will be described belowwith reference to FIG. 8 . The moving object 21 is basically moving, andthe distance between the moving object 21 and the kiosk 100 may increaseor decrease according to the movement of the moving object 21.

In FIG. 2 , the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C are providedin the kiosk 100 and are able to photograph the moving object 21. Theplurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may be the front camera 150A,the first side camera 150B, and the second side camera (not shown)described above with reference to FIG. 1 , but are not limited thereto.For example, in order to accurately recognize the moving object 21, theplurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may be three front cameras150A.

A control system 200 receives and processes images captured by theplurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C. The control system 200 mayinclude a learning module 230 and an optimization module 250.

The learning module 230 determines whether the moving object 21 intendsto use the kiosk 100, by learning, through a learning model, the imagescaptured by the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C. For example,the learning module 230 may determine that a first moving object intendsto use the kiosk 100 and the second moving object does not intend to usethe kiosk 100. The learning module 230 may include various learningmodels for performing such learning.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the learning module 230 mayinclude an autoencoder model as a learning model, and may learn inputimage data through a learning process in layers including an inputlayer, a hidden layer, and an output layer, and determine whether themoving object 21 intends to use the kiosk 100. In FIG. 2 , the learningmodule 230 may use, rather than an autoencoder, one or more of anartificial neural network (ANN), a recursive neural network (RNN), ahidden Markov model (HMM), k-means clustering, k-nearest neighbors, anda support vector machine (SVM), but is not limited thereto.

Although not shown in FIG. 2 , the images captured by the plurality ofcameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may be pre-processed according to thecharacteristics of the learning model, before being input to thelearning module 230. For example, images captured by the plurality ofcameras 210A, 210B, and 210C at regular time intervals may bepre-processed into time-series vector data, then the time-series vectordata may be input, as input data, to an HMM specialized for time-seriesvector data, and thus, the learning module 230 may effectively learn theimages.

When the learning module 230 determines that the moving object 21intends to use the kiosk 100, the optimization module 250 may optimizethe height of the kiosk 100 according to collected characteristics ofthe moving object 21. In detail, the optimization module 250 may adjustthe height of the kiosk 100 in order to optimize the height to be atwhich the moving object may use the kiosk 100 most comfortably, and maycalculate a displacement value for changing the current height to theoptimized height.

Finally, when the optimized height of the kiosk 100 is determined by theoptimization module 250, the height of the main module 120 of the kiosk100 may be adjusted to the determined height. Although FIG. 2illustrates that the kiosk 100 is a sliding rail-type kiosk forconvenience of description, it is described above that the kioskaccording to the present disclosure may implement a height adjustmentfunction by using a stepping motor.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the control systemdescribed above with reference to FIG. 2 .

A control system 300 of FIG. 3 is an example of the control system 200of FIG. 2 , and is implemented to be physically or logically included inthe main module 120 described above with reference to FIG. 1 , toperform a function of controlling the operation of the main module 120and various input/output devices included in the main module 120.According to an embodiment, the control system 300 of FIG. 3 may beimplemented to be included in the stand 110 instead of the main module120.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the control system 300 according to the presentdisclosure includes a camera 310, a user input receiving unit 330, aprocessor 350, and an output unit 370.

The control system 300 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may correspond to one or more processors, or may include oneor more processors. Accordingly, the control system 300 and the camera310, the user input receiving unit 330, the processor 350, and theoutput unit 370 included in the control system 300 may be driven in aform included in a hardware device such as a microprocessor or ageneral-purpose computer system.

Each module included in the control system 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 isarbitrarily named in order to intuitively describe the representativefunction performed by the module, and in an actual implementation of thecontrol system 300, each module may be named differently from asillustrated in FIG. 3 .

In addition, the number of modules included in the control system 300 ofFIG. 3 may vary according to an embodiment. In more detail, althoughFIG. 3 illustrates that the control system 300 includes a total of fourmodules, according to an embodiment, two or more modules may beintegrated into one module, or one or more modules may be separated intotwo or more modules.

The camera 310 recognizes and photographs a moving object that is withina preset distance from the kiosk 100, and is approaching the kiosk 100.An image captured by the camera 310 is transmitted to the processor 350,and at least one camera 310 may be provided.

The user input receiving unit 330 receives a user input to the kiosk100, and transmits the received input to the processor 350. The userinput receiving unit 330 may be connected, by wire or wirelessly, to thefirst input device 160A, the second input device 160B, and the thirdinput device 160C, which are described above with reference to FIG. 1 .

The processor 350 receives various pieces of data from the camera 310and the user input receiving unit 330, and processes them.

For example, the processor 350 may learn characteristic information ofthe moving object recognized by one or more cameras 310, and determine,based on a result of the learning, whether a user related to the movingobject intends to use the kiosk 100. In this case, the moving object mayor may not be a user. In a case in which the user is a visually impairedperson moving with a walking stick, the moving object recognized by thecamera 310 may be the walking stick, and the processor 350 may recognizeboth the walking stick and the user using the walking stick. In a casein which the user is a visually impaired person moving with a guide dog,the moving object recognized by the camera 310 may be the guide dog, andthe processor 350 may recognize both the guide dog and the user with theguide dog.

As another example, the processor 350 may analyze the image captured bythe camera 310 to identify at least one of the user’s height,information about the user’s eyes, and information about the user’s armlength, and learn based on the identified information to determinewhether the user intends to use the kiosk 100. When the user’s height incaptured images gradually increases over time, the processor 350 maydetermine that the user is approaching the kiosk 100. When the user’siris matches the kiosk 100 or the user’s focus is on the kiosk 100, theprocessor 350 may determine that the user is approaching the kiosk 100.In a similar manner, the processor 350 may determine, based on theoverall length of the user’s arm and a change in the user’s arm lengthin the captured images, that the user is approaching the kiosk 100.

Whether the user is approaching the kiosk 100 and whether the userintends to use the kiosk 100 may be determined separately from eachother. That is, the processor 350 may primarily determine whether theuser is approaching the kiosk 100, secondarily determine whether thedetermined target (the user) intends to use the kiosk 100, and thusfinally determine whether the user intends to use the kiosk 100. Throughthe above process, the processor 350 may prevent a situation in whichthe height of the kiosk 100 is unnecessarily adjusted as a user simplyapproaches the kiosk 100 and then moves away from the kiosk 100 withoutusing the kiosk 100.

The output unit 370 outputs a result of processing by the processor 350and transmits the result to various modules included in the kiosk 100.For example, when a control signal for adjusting the height of the kiosk100 is generated by the processor 350, the output unit 370 may outputthe control signal to transmits it to the height adjustment unit 140,such that the height of the kiosk 100 is changed. As another example,the output unit 370 may transmit result data processed by the processor350 to the sound output unit 170 such that a voice or a sound is outputfrom the kiosk 100.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating in detail another example of theprocessor described above with reference to FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the processor 350 includes a data preprocessingunit 351, a data learning unit 353, and an optimization processing unit355.

The data preprocessing unit 351, the data learning unit 353, and theoptimization processing unit 355 of FIG. 4 may correspond to one or moreprocessors or may include one or more processors. The data preprocessingunit 351, the data learning unit 353, and the optimization processingunit 355 of FIG. 4 may be driven in a form included in a hardware devicesuch as a microprocessor or a general-purpose computer system.

Each module included in the processor 350 illustrated in FIG. 4 isarbitrarily named in order to intuitively describe the representativefunction performed by the module, and in an actual implementation of theprocessor 350, each module may be named differently from as illustratedin FIG. 4 .

In addition, the number of modules included in the processor 350 of FIG.4 may vary according to an embodiment. In more detail, although FIG. 4illustrates that the processor 350 includes a total of three modules,according to an embodiment, two or more modules may be integrated intoone system-on-chip (SoC), or one or more modules may be separated intotwo or more modules.

The data preprocessing unit 351 may receive an image received by acamera and perform preprocessing such that learning is efficientlyperformed by a learning model included in the data learning unit 353.For example, the image received by the camera may be preprocessed intovector data, and when a plurality of cameras are provided in the kiosk100, images may be preprocessed into a vector corresponding to eachcamera. In addition, when images of the same moving object are receivedover several viewpoints, the data preprocessing unit 351 may preprocessseveral images into one time-series vector.

The data learning unit 353 receives preprocessed data from the datapreprocessing unit 351 and performs learning processing based on apre-stored learning model. The data learning unit 353 includes one ormore learning models, and the data preprocessing unit 351 may calculatevarious types of preprocessed data according to the type of the learningmodel stored in the data learning unit 353. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the data learning unit 353 may include a database (not shown) thatstores various parameters used by the learning models and parametersupdated by the learning models.

The data learning unit 353 may determine whether a user related to amoving object, which is recognized and photographed by the camerathrough a series of processes, intends to use the kiosk 100.

According to an embodiment, characteristic information of the movingobject recognized by the camera may include information about the frontof the moving object (hereinafter, referred to as ‘frontal information’)and information about other than the front of the moving object(hereinafter, referred to as ‘non-frontal information’), and the datalearning unit 353 may determine whether the user intends to use thekiosk 100 based on a ratio between the frontal information and thenon-frontal information. The data learning unit 353 may analyze a videocaptured by the camera to calculate a ratio by counting the number offrames in which a moving object is approaching the front of the kiosk100, and the number of frames in which the moving object is approachingother than the front of the kiosk 100, respectively, determine whetherthe ratio is greater than a preset reference value, and thus determinewhether a user related to the moving object intends to use the kiosk100.

$\frac{B}{A} > k_{1}$

Equation 1 is for describing a reference ratio that the processor 350refers to in determining whether a user intends to use the kiosk 100. InEquation 1, A denotes the number of frames including non-frontalinformation in a video captured by the camera, B denotes the number offrames including front frontal information in the video captured by thecamera, and k₁ denotes the reference ratio. When a 3-second videocaptured by the camera is a 60-fps video, A and B are 18 and 162,respectively, and the reference ratio is 8, the data learning unit 353may determine that the conditional expression according to Equation 1 issatisfied, and thus determine that the user intends to use the kiosk100. As another example, when A and B are 80 and 100, respectively, thedata learning unit 353 may determine that the conditional expressionaccording to Equation 1 is not satisfied, and thus determine that theuser does not intend to use the kiosk 100.

Frontal information and non-frontal information may be calculated invarious ways. The data learning unit 353 may include a frontdetermination reference value that may be used to determine, based on afacial direction, iris information, focus information, etc. of the user(or the moving object), whether a user (or a moving object) is facingthe front of the kiosk 100 or is facing other than the front of thekiosk 100, and the front determination reference value may beperiodically or aperiodically updated according to a learning model. Asthe front determination reference value is updated in a learning processof the learning model, with the lapse of time, the kiosk according tothe present disclosure may be able to more accurately determine thefrontal direction (or non-frontal direction) of a moving object anddetermine whether a user intends to use the kiosk.

According to another embodiment, the data learning unit 353 maydetermine, based on non-frontal information, whether the user intends touse the kiosk 100.

A > k₂

Equation 2 is for describing a reference value that the data learningunit 353 refers to in determining, based on non-frontal information,whether a user intends to use the kiosk. In Equation 2, A denotes thenumber of frames including non-frontal information of a moving object ina video as in Equation 1, and k₂ denotes a reference value. When thenumber of frames including non-frontal information in received videoseach having a constant time length is greater than a reference value,the data learning unit 353 may determine that the user does not intendto use the kiosk 100.

The present disclosure includes various embodiments for determiningwhether a user intends to use a kiosk in addition to the above-describedmethods, and the embodiments will be described below with reference toFIGS. 6 to 8 .

The optimization processing unit 355 performs processing for changingthe height of the kiosk 100 to an optimized height. In detail, when thedata learning unit 353 determines that the user intends to use the kiosk100, the optimization processing unit 355 may primarily calculate theheight of the kiosk 100 optimized for the user, secondarily calculate adeviation value for changing the height of the kiosk 100 from thecurrent height of the kiosk 100 to the optimized height of the kiosk100, and transmit the values to the height adjustment unit 140.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing in detail an example of the secondinput device described above with reference to FIG. 1 .

The second input device 160B illustrated in FIG. 5 is a braille pad, anda visually impaired person may apply a particular input to the kiosk 100through the second input device 160B. As already described above, thesecond input device 160B may include a function of outputtinginformation output from the kiosk 100, in addition to the function ofapplying an input to the kiosk 100. A user, who is a visually impairedperson, may recognize a picture of Santa Claus output from the secondinput device 160B through tactile sense, and as another example, when aroute is displayed on the second input device 160B, the user may reachthe destination according to the displayed route.

A braille unit module 510 of FIG. 5 is a module for implementing thesecond input device 160B, and tens to hundreds of braille unit modules510 may be integrated to constitute one second input device 160B. Asillustrated in FIG. 5 , the braille unit module 510 may implementbraille by controlling eight unit mechanisms to protrude or retract.Here, because the number of unit mechanisms included in the braille unitmodule 510 is not limited to a particular number, the braille unitmodule 510 may include fewer or more eight unit mechanisms.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for describing in detail operationcharacteristics of the data learning unit of FIG. 4 .

In FIG. 6 , the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C are arrangedto face any one of the front, a side, and the rear of the kiosk 100,recognizes and photographs characteristic information of a moving objectapproaching the kiosk 100, and allows the data learning unit 353 of theprocessor 350 to analyze a result of the photographing.

Here, the characteristic information of the moving object collected bythe plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may be various.

For example, the data learning unit 353 may analyze images captured bythe camera to recognize a face 610 of the moving object, identifyfrontal information and non-frontal information of the face 610, anddetermine whether the user intends to use the kiosk 100. In detail,after input images captured by the camera are collected, the datalearning unit 353 may detect faces from an input image (i.e., facedetection), identify, from the detected faces, major areas, such as aneye, a nose, or a mouth (i.e., shape prediction), and perform deeplearning based on information about the identified major areas, tocalculate frontal information or non-frontal information of the face ofthe moving object.

As another example, the data learning unit 353 may analyze imagescaptured by the camera, recognize an eye 630 of the moving object,generate, as information about the eye, iris information or focusinformation, and determine whether the user intends to use the kiosk100. In detail, when images captured by the camera are collected, thedata learning unit 353 may identify an eye from an input image, enlargethe identified eye area to generate at least one of iris information andfocus information based on unique characteristics of an iris, a changein the radius of a pupil, etc., and perform learning based on thegenerated iris information and focus information to determine whetherthe moving object is gazing at the kiosk 100. When the moving objectapproaches the kiosk 100 while continuously looking at it, the datalearning unit 353 may determine that the moving object intends to usethe kiosk 100.

As another example, the data learning unit 353 may recognize a height650 of the moving object to determine whether the moving object intendsto use the kiosk 100. When it is determined that the height 650 of themoving object is gradually increasing in images captured by the camera,the data learning unit 353 may determine that the moving object isapproaching the kiosk 100, and additionally performing learning withrespect to the eyes and face of the moving object to determine whetherthe user intends to use the kiosk 100.

According to another embodiment, after recognizing the front of themoving object, the data learning unit 353 may measure a time periodduring which the frontal direction of the moving object is maintained, atime period during which the moving object changes its position fromfacing the camera to facing other than the camera, and a time periodduring which the moving object changes its position from facing otherthan the camera to facing the camera, and determine whether the measuredvalues satisfy a preset condition to determine whether the user intendsto use the kiosk 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an embodiment further expanded fromthe embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 6 .

According to the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the plurality of cameras 210A,210B, and 210C may photograph a moving object only when the movingobject within a preset distance from the kiosk 100 is approaching thekiosk 100, and accordingly, the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and210C may be prevented from wasting power with an unnecessary operation.In addition, the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C mayphotograph the moving object at least twice or more according to adistance by which the moving object has moved to approach the kiosk 100,and allow the processor 350 to analyze captured images, such that theprocessor 350 more accurately determines whether the user intends to usethe kiosk 100. To implement the present embodiment, the kiosk 100 mayfurther include a distance measuring sensor.

When it is determined, through the distance measuring sensor, that themoving object has moved to approach the kiosk 100 by the sum of a firstdistance 710, a second distance 730, and a third distance 750(hereinafter, referred to as ‘first recognition distance’), theprocessor 350 may wake up the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210Coperating in a sleep mode, and control them to photograph the movingobject for a preset time period.

When it is determined, through the distance measuring sensor, that themoving object has further moved to approach the kiosk 100 by the sum ofthe second distance 730 and the third distance 750 (hereinafter,referred to as ‘second recognition distance’), the processor 350 maywake up again the plurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C operating inthe sleep mode, and control them to photograph the moving object for thepreset time period.

When it is determined, through the distance measuring sensor, that thedistance between the moving object and the kiosk 100 is equal to thethird distance 750, the processor 350 may wake up again the plurality ofcameras 210A, 210B, and 210C operating in the sleep mode, and controlthem to photograph the moving object for the preset time period. Here,the third distance 750 may be referred to as ‘third recognitiondistance’.

As described above, the processor 350 may photograph the moving object atotal of three times and determine whether the user intends to the kiosk100, thereby minimizing the power consumption of the plurality ofcameras, and the processor 350 may obtain images of the moving objectfrom a plurality of different viewpoints to accurately determine whetherthe user intends to use the kiosk 100.

In particular, when the moving object comes as close to the kiosk 100 asthe second recognition distance and then moves away from the kiosk 100,the cameras do not need to be woken up again by the processor 350, theprocessor 350 does not need to learn and analyze received images, andthus, the operational efficiency of the kiosk 100 may be maximized.

According to an alternative embodiment, in FIG. 7 , the plurality ofcameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may intensively photograph characteristicinformation differently for each of the first recognition distance, thesecond recognition distance, and the third recognition distance,according to a control signal of the processor 350. For example, theplurality of cameras 210A, 210B, and 210C may capture an image of theheight of the moving object at the first recognition distance, an imageof the face of the moving object at the second recognition distance, andan image of the eyes of the moving object at the third recognitiondistance, and transmit the images to the processor 350, and thus, theprocessor 350 may more accurately determine, by using a differencebetween the images for the respective viewpoints, whether the movingobject (the user) intends to use the kiosk 100.

A case is described above with reference FIG. 7 in which a moving objectrecognized by the camera matches a user, and hereinafter, a case isdescribed with reference to FIG. 8 in which a moving object recognizedby the camera does not match a user.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a case in which a moving object doesnot match a user.

Referring to FIG. 8 , a moving object recognized by the camera is anobject (or a creature) closer to the camera than is a person (a human).In detail, a walking stick 810 used by a visually impaired person or aguide dog 830 with a visually impaired person is closer to the camerathan is the user, and thus may be identified first by the camera, andthe kiosk 100 according to the present disclosure may determine, basedon characteristic information of the moving object rather than the user,whether the user related to the moving object intends to use the kiosk100.

In order to implement the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 8 , theprocessor 350 may further include reference information for accuratelyextracting and comparing characteristic information of the walking stick810 and the guide dog 830, and, in particular, with respect to the guidedog 830, the processor 350 may analyze information on the eyes, face,and height of the guide dog 830 to determine whether the useraccompanying the guide dog 830 intends to use the kiosk 100. Inparticular, the walking stick 810 and the guide dog 830 are onlyindicators for determining whether the user intends to use the kiosk100, and the height of the kiosk 100 being adjusted by the processor 350may depend on characteristic information of the user following thewalking stick 810 and the guide dog 830.

In the present embodiment, the walking stick 810 or the guide dog 830 isone parameter for the processor 350 to accurately and quickly performthe determination, and allows the processor 350 to perform customizedoperations of waking up a visually impaired person-specialized module(e.g., a braille pad) operating in a sleep mode to minimize powerconsumption, and temporarily disabling visual effects (e.g., by adisplay unit) that are unnecessary for a visually impaired person.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method forcontrolling a kiosk according to the present disclosure.

The method of FIG. 9 may be performed by the kiosk 100 of FIG. 1 or thecontrol system 300 of a kiosk of FIG. 3 , and thus, hereinafter,descriptions will be made with reference to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 , and thedescriptions provided above with reference to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 will beomitted.

The camera 310 of the kiosk 100 recognizes a person who is within apreset distance from the kiosk 100 and is approaching the kiosk 100(S910).

The processor 350 learns characteristics of the recognized person byusing artificial intelligence to determine whether the recognized personintends to use the kiosk 100 (S920).

The processor 350 determines whether the recognized person intends touse the kiosk 100 (S930), and when it is determined that the recognizedperson intends to use the kiosk 100, calculates an optimized height ofthe kiosk 100 based on a result of the learning (S940).

Thereafter, the processor 350 adjusts the height of the kiosk 100 to bethe height calculated in operation S940, to help the person recognizedin operation S910 to use the kiosk 100 that is at the most appropriateheight (S950).

According to the present disclosure, as the height adjustment functionof the kiosk is performed only when necessary, the failure rate of thekiosk may be minimized.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, the kiosk mayselectively operate only when a person who intends to use the kioskapproaches, such that power consumption of the kiosk may be minimized.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, it is possible toprovide a service optimized for the characteristics of a person usingthe kiosk, such that the satisfaction of the person using the kiosk maybe maximized.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a method of determining a heightof a kiosk according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10 , user approach information about a user who iswithin a preset radius is obtained from a first sensor (S1000).

Thereafter, a height value of the user is obtained from the secondsensor (S2000).

Thereafter, the height value of the user is matched with one of presetheight value ranges (S3000).

Thereafter, the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height valuerange matched with the height value is determined (S4000).

First, a processor may obtain, from the first sensor, the user approachinformation about the user who is within the preset radius (S1000).

Here, the term ‘user’ includes general users, i.e., adults and children,and users with disabilities, i.e., people with visual impairments, lowerextremity disabilities, or intellectual disabilities, and may refer to aperson who is within a preset distance radius from the kiosk.

In an embodiment, approach information of a user and the kiosk mayinclude detection information about the user who is within a presetradius obtained from a sensor, and a distance value between the user andthe kiosk.

Thereafter, the height value of the user is obtained from the secondsensor (S2000).

Each of the first sensor that may obtain the user approach informationand the second sensor that may obtain the height value of the user asdescribed above may be one of various sensors currently used (e.g., acamera sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.).

Thereafter, the height value of the user is matched with one of thepreset height value ranges (S3000).

A plurality of height value ranges for determining the height of thekiosk may be set, and it is preferable to set two or three height valueranges to be matched with the height value of the user.

Thereafter, the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height valuerange matched with the height value is determined (S4000).

The processor may determine the height of the kiosk corresponding to theheight value range matched with the height value. Here, the height ofthe kiosk may be determined based on the position of an input pad unitprovided in the kiosk.

Here, the input pad unit may include a keypad and a braille pad thatconvert a physical input by the user into an electrical signal andtransmit the electrical signal to the processor. The braille pad may beeffectively used by a visually impaired user, and outputs braillecorresponding to output data processed by the processor, such that thevisually impaired user recognizes content output from the kiosk. Thebraille pad will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 .

In addition, a sound input/output device may be included to convert auser voice into an electrical signal, transmit the electrical signal tothe processor, and output, as a voice or a sound, output data processedby the processor. Although only the components necessary for the presentdisclosure are briefly mentioned above, in an actual implementation ofthe present disclosure, more devices may be included.

In addition, various means for adjusting the height of the kioskaccording to a height determined by the processor may be provided insidethe kiosk. For example, height adjustment means, such as hydraulic,geared, or linear actuators, and various adjustment means, such as astep motor or a servo motor, may be included.

A kiosk with a height adjustment function has a problem in that itfrequent breaks down as its height is constantly changed without beingfixed or its height is adjusted according to a user input. According toan embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce thefailure rate of the kiosk by adjusting the height of the kiosk to beonly values corresponding to height value ranges.

In addition, different types of kiosks differ in the position of aninput pad unit, and in the method of setting the height of the kiosk,resulting in inconvenience. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the processor may determine the height of the kioskconsidering the position of the input pad unit, thereby solving suchinconvenience.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be acase in which the physical height of the kiosk is adjusted but it isstill difficult or inconvenient for a user to manipulate the input padunit, and, for such cases, the following method may be used.

In more detail, in order to determine the height of the kiosk, theprocessor may obtain the position of the input pad unit, and determine apreset height adjustment value of the kiosk corresponding to theposition. Also, the height of the kiosk may be determined by applyingthe height adjustment value to the height of the kiosk corresponding tothe height value range matched with the height value.

First, the processor may check the position of the input pad unit. Afterapproach information and a height value of the user are obtained, theprocessor may obtain the position of the input pad unit provided in thekiosk, and determine a height of the kiosk corresponding to a heightvalue range matched with the height value. Also, the processor maydetermine a preset height adjustment value of the kiosk corresponding tothe position of the input pad unit.

For example, a height of the kiosk for a height value range may be setbased on an input pad unit provided at a lower part of a display. Thekiosk height adjustment value may be set based on various positions ofinput pad units, such as an input pad unit provided at a lower part ofthe kiosk or an input pad unit provided at the lowermost side of thedisplay.

The processor may obtain the position of the input pad unit provided inthe kiosk and determine the kiosk height adjustment value according tothe position of the input pad unit. A detailed method will be describedbelow with reference to FIG. 2 .

For example, in the kiosk set with a first height value range, a secondheight value range, and a third height value range with respect tousers, the height of the kiosk may be set to a first height, a secondheight, and a third height corresponding to the respective height valueranges.

Here, the processor determines a kiosk height adjustment value byobtaining the actual position of the input pad unit provided in thekiosk. For example, when the height value range matched with the heightvalue of the user is the third height value range, and the correspondingheight of the kiosk is the third height, the processor may obtain theactual position of the input pad unit of the kiosk and finally determinethe height of the kiosk by applying, to the third height, the heightadjustment value corresponding to the actual position of the input padunit.

When the height adjustment value corresponding to the actual position ofthe input pad unit is -10 CM, the processor may determine the height ofthe kiosk by applying -10 CM to the third height.

The processor may calculate a height difference between the height valueof the user and the input pad unit based on the position of the inputpad unit, match the height difference value with one of preset heightranges, and determine a kiosk height adjustment value corresponding tothe matched height range. Also, the height of the kiosk may bedetermined by applying the height adjustment value to the height of thekiosk corresponding to the height value range matched with the heightvalue.

In more detail, the processor may calculate a difference value betweenthe height of the user and the height of the input pad unit based on theposition of the input pad unit, and match the difference value with oneof the preset height ranges. The height difference value may be a heightdifference between the height of the input pad unit and the height value(the highest point) of the user, or may be a height difference betweenthe height of the input pad unit and an average shoulder height, whichis calculated by subtracting, from the height value, an average headsize value based on the height value of the user. Alternatively, theheight difference value may be a height difference between the height ofthe input pad unit and an arm length of the user, which is calculatedbased on the height value of the user.

Also, the processor may match the height difference value with one ofthe preset height ranges to determine a kiosk height adjustment valuecorresponding to the height range matched with the height differencevalue. The preset height ranges and height adjustment values may be setdifferently according to the height of the kiosk corresponding to theheight value range matched with the height value of the user.

The processor may determine the height adjustment value, and finallydetermine the height of the kiosk by applying the height adjustmentvalue to the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height value rangematched with the height value of the user.

For example, when the height value of the user is matched with the firstheight value range, and the height difference is matched with the secondheight range, the processor may determine the height of the kiosk byapplying, to the height of the kiosk corresponding to the first heightvalue range, the height adjustment value corresponding to the secondheight range.

Hereinafter, a detailed example of an operation method of a kiosk thatmay be implemented by an operation of a processor will be described withreference to FIGS. 11 to 14 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a kiosk, the height ofwhich is adjusted based on the height of a user and the position of aninput pad unit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11 , a height value of a user is matched with a heightvalue range, and a height of the kiosk corresponding to the height valuerange is determined.

Even for different positions of an input pad unit 1230 provided in akiosk 1210, the height of the input pad unit 1230 may be adjusted to bethe same value corresponding to the height value of the user.

In more detail, in determining the height of the kiosk corresponding tothe height value range matched with the height value of the user, aprocessor may obtain the position of the input pad unit and determine apreset height adjustment value of the kiosk corresponding to theobtained position. Also, the height of the kiosk may be determined byapplying the height adjustment value to the height of the kioskcorresponding to the height value range matched with the height value.

After the processor determines the height of the kiosk, the height ofthe kiosk may be adjusted by providing a height adjustment signal to aheight adjustment means 1220.

First, referring to (a) of FIG. 11 , an input pad unit 1230 a providedin a kiosk 1210 a may be provided at a lower part of a display. In moredetail, a processor may check that the input pad unit 1230 a is providedat a lower side of the display and determine a height adjustment valueof the kiosk 1210 a. The processor may determine the height of the kiosk1210 a by applying the height adjustment value of the kiosk 1210 a.

When the height of the kiosk 1210 a corresponding to the height valuerange matched with the height value is B, the processor of the kiosk1210 a obtains the position of the input pad unit 1230 a. The processormay determine, by applying the height adjustment value of the kiosk 1210a, that the height of the kiosk 1210 a is to be changed from B to A suchthat the height of the input pad unit 1230 a is to be about the heightof the user’s elbow.

For example, when the height adjustment value of the input pad unit 1230a provided at a lower part of the display is -10 CM, the processor maydetermine that the height of the kiosk 1210 a is to be (B - 10 CM).

Next, referring to (b) of FIG. 11 , an input pad unit 1230 b provided ina kiosk 1210 b may be provided at the lowermost side of the display. Inmore detail, a processor may check that the input pad unit 1230 b isprovided at the lowermost side of the display and determine a heightadjustment value of the kiosk 1210 b. The processor may determine theheight of the kiosk 1210 b by applying the height adjustment value ofthe kiosk 1210 b.

When a height of the kiosk corresponding to a height value range matchedwith a height value is B, the processor of the kiosk 1210 b may obtainthe position of the input pad unit 1230 b. The processor may maintainthe height B of the kiosk corresponding to the height value rangematched with the height value without applying any preset heightadjustment value such that the height of the input pad unit 1230 b isabout the height of the user’s elbow.

Finally, referring to (c) of FIG. 11 , an input pad unit 1230 c providedin a kiosk 1210 c may be provided at the lowermost side of the kiosk1210 c. In more detail, a processor may check that the input pad unit1230 c is provided at the lowermost side of the display and determine aheight adjustment value of the kiosk 1210 c. The processor may determinethe height of the kiosk 1210 c by applying the height adjustment valueof the kiosk 1210 c.

When a height of the kiosk 1210 c corresponding to a height value rangematched with a height value is B, the processor of the kiosk 1210 c mayobtain the position of the input pad unit 1230 c, and determine that theheight of the kiosk 1210 c is to be C, which is obtained by increasing,by a preset height adjustment value, the height B of the kiosk 1210 ccorresponding to the height value range matched with the height value.The processor may determine to increase the height of the kiosk 1210 csuch that the height of the input pad unit 1230 c is about the height ofthe user’s elbow.

For example, when the height adjustment value of the input pad unit 1230c provided at the lowermost side of the kiosc 1210 c is +5 CM, theprocessor may determine that the height of the kiosk 1210 c is to be(B + 5 CM).

The position of the input pad unit 1230 described above is only anexample and does not limit the position of an input pad unit.

Alternatively, the processor may calculate a height difference 1250between the height value of the user and the height of the input padunit, match the height difference value with one of preset heightranges, and determine a kiosk height adjustment value corresponding tothe matched height range. In addition, the height of the kiosk may bedetermined by applying the height adjustment value to the height of thekiosk corresponding to the height value range matched with the heightvalue.

Referring to FIG. 11 , assuming that a user uses the kiosk 1210 a, theprocessor may determine that a height of the kiosk 1210 a correspondingto the height value range of the user is A. In addition, by calculatingthe height difference 1250 between the height value of the user and theheight of the input pad unit, and matching the height difference withone of preset height ranges, a kiosk height adjustment valuecorresponding to the matched height range may be determined. Forexample, when a first height adjustment value is determined, theprocessor may determine the height of the kiosk by adding the firstheight adjustment value to the height A of the kiosk. Alternatively,when a third height adjustment value is determined, the height of thekiosk may be determined by subtracting the third height adjustment valuefrom the height A of the kiosk.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an overall operating method of akiosk according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, a height of the kiosk corresponding to a height value rangematched with a height value is determined (S4000).

Thereafter, a signal for requesting protrusion of an input pad unitprovided in the kiosk is received, and a signal for protrusion of theinput pad unit is generated (S5000).

Finally, the inclination of the protruding input pad unit is determinedbased on user approach information (S6000).

First, the height of the kiosk corresponding to the height value rangematched with the height value may be determined (S4000).

Thereafter, the signal for requesting protrusion of the input pad unitprovided in the kiosk is received, and the signal for protrusion of theinput pad unit is generated (S5000).

In an embodiment, the signal for requesting protrusion may be generatedthrough a button provided in the kiosk. When a user applies an input tothe button provided in the kiosk, the processor receives a request forrequesting protrusion of the input pad unit, and generates a signal forprotrusion. In addition, there may be a case in which the input pad unitalready protrudes, and in such a case, the request for requestingprotrusion may be a signal for requesting extension of the length of theprotruding input pad unit.

A protrudable means, such as a sliding rail, may be provided on thelower surface of the input pad unit, and the input pad unit may protrudeaccording to a signal for protrusion generated by the processor.

The input pad unit may be provided at a lower part of a display orbetween a plurality of displays, in the main body of the kiosk.

Thereafter, the inclination of the protruding input pad unit isdetermined based on the user approach information (S6000).

The processor may determine, based on the user approach information,whether it is necessary to change the inclination of the protrudinginput pad unit, and, when it is determined that it is necessary tochange the inclination, determine the inclination of the protrudinginput pad unit.

In more detail, when it is determined that the height of the kioskcorresponding to the height value range matched with the height value isthe physically lowest height, and the height value of the user based onthe approach information is less than or equal to the height of theinput pad unit, or the height difference between the height value of theuser and the height of the input pad unit is less than a preset value,the processor may determine that it is necessary to change theinclination of the input pad unit.

The processor may determine the angle of the input pad unit such thatthe angle between a line perpendicular to the display and the input padunit is within the range of 0° to -30°.

In more detail, in order to determine the angle of the input pad unit,the processor calculates, based on the approach information, an armlength corresponding to the height value of the user and a distancebetween the user and the protruding input pad. Here, the arm length maybe the length of an extended arm of the user toward the input pad unit.The processor may calculate a variable k for cases, such as a case inwhich the user fully extends his or her arm towards the input pad unitor a case in which the user half extends his or her arm towards theinput pad, according to the distance between the user and the protrudinginput pad unit, and the angle of the input pad unit may be determined byEquation 3 below according to the arm length, the distance between theuser and the protruding input pad unit, and the variable k.

$\begin{array}{l}{\frac{Distance\mspace{6mu} between\mspace{6mu} user\mspace{6mu} and\mspace{6mu} input\mspace{6mu} pad\mspace{6mu} unit}{Arm\mspace{6mu} length} \ast k =} \\{Angle\mspace{6mu} of\mspace{6mu} input\mspace{6mu} pad\mspace{6mu} unit}\end{array}$

In addition, after determining the height of the kiosk, the processormay determine whether there is a change in the approach information and,when there is a change in the approach information, redetermine theheight of the kiosk based on the change.

A change in the approach information may occur in a case in whichapproach information of another user is obtained or the approachinformation cannot be obtained, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an interface screen of a display of akiosk according to whether an input pad protrudes, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

(a) of FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a display interface screen whenthe input pad does not protrude.

A kiosk 400 includes a sensor 410, a display 420, an input pad unit 440,and an input pad unit protrusion request button 430. The input pad unitmay be provided between a plurality of displays 420 or at a lower partof one display. In addition, an additional display may be provided onthe front surface of the input pad unit. Alternatively, the input padunit may already protrude in the structure of the kiosk.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an interface screen of a display of akiosk according to whether an input pad protrudes, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 13 , when the input pad unit 440 does notprotrude, the processor may provide output data to the kiosk display 420and a display provided in the input pad unit 440.

The processor may determine output data 1401 to be provided only to thedisplay 420 and output data 1402 to be provided to the display 420 andthe display provided in the input pad unit 440.

In addition, the processor may receive a touch input of the user for theoutput data 1402 provided to the display 420 as well as a touch input ofthe user for the output data 1402 provided to the display provided inthe input pad unit 440, and process the output data 1402 according tothe input of the user.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 13 , when the input pad unit 440 protrudes, theprocessor may determine the data 1401 and data 1403 to be output to thedisplay 420, and provide the data 1401 and the data 1403 to the display420.

Before the input pad unit protrudes, the processor has provided theoutput data 1402 to the display provided in the input pad part 440 andarranged on the lower side of the display 420. When the input pad unit440 protrudes, the processor may provide the output data 1403 only tothe display 420.

Also, the processor may receive an input of the user for output data,from an input device (not shown), such as a keypad or a braille pad,provided on the upper surface of the input pad unit 440. The processormay convert output data corresponding to a result of processing by theprocessor into a voice and braille and provide the voice and the brailleto the input device (not shown) provided in the input pad unit.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 14 , the server may include a communication unit 1610,a processor 1620, and a database (DB) 1630. FIG. 14 illustrates theserver including only the components related to an embodiment.Therefore, it would be understood by those of skill in the art thatother general-purpose components may be further included in addition tothose illustrated in FIG. 14 .

The communication unit 1610 may include one or more components forperforming wired/wireless communication with other nodes. For example,the communication unit 1610 may include at least one of a short-rangecommunication unit, a mobile communication unit, and a broadcastreceiving unit.

The DB 1630 is hardware for storing various pieces of data processed bythe server, and may store a program for the processor 1620 to performprocessing and control. The DB 1630 may store payment information, userinformation, and the like.

The DB 1630 may include random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM(DRAM) or static SRAM, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasableprogrammable ROM (EEPROM), a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), a Blu-ray orother optical disk storage, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive(SSD), or flash memory.

The processor 1620 controls the overall operation of the server. Forexample, the processor 1620 may execute programs stored in the DB 1630to control the overall operation of an input unit, the communicationunit 1610, the DB 1630, and the like. The processor 1620 may executeprograms stored in the DB 1630 to control the operation of the server.The processor 1620 may control the server described above with referenceto FIGS. 10 to 14 .

The processor 1620 may be implemented by using at least one ofapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and otherelectrical units for performing functions.

The embodiments of the present disclosure described above may beimplemented as a computer program that may be executed through variouscomponents on a computer, and such a computer program may be recorded ina computer-readable medium. In this case, the medium may include amagnetic medium, such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, or a magnetic tape,an optical recording medium, such as a CD-ROM or a digital video disc(DVD), a magneto-optical medium, such as a floptical disk, and ahardware device specially configured to store and execute programinstructions, such as ROM, RAM, or flash memory.

Meanwhile, the computer program may be specially designed and configuredfor the present disclosure or may be well-known to and be usable bythose of ordinary skill in the art of computer software. Examples of thecomputer program may include not only machine code, such as code made bya compiler, but also high-level language code that is executable by acomputer by using an interpreter or the like.

Particular executions described herein are merely examples and do notlimit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. For the sake ofbrevity, conventional electronics, control systems, software and otherfunctional aspects of the systems may not be described in detail.Furthermore, line connections or connection members between elementsdepicted in the drawings represent functional connections and/orphysical or circuit connections by way of example, and in actualapplications, they may be replaced or embodied with various suitableadditional functional connections, physical connections, or circuitconnections. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practiceof the present disclosure unless the item or component is specificallydescribed as “essential” or “critical.”

The term ‘the’ and other demonstratives similar thereto in thespecification of the present disclosure (especially in the followingclaims) should be understood to include a singular form and pluralforms. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein are merelyintended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually toeach separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicatedherein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specificationas if it were individually recited herein. Finally, the operations ofall methods described herein may be performed in any suitable orderunless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted bycontext. The present disclosure is not limited to the described order ofthe operations. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language(e.g., ‘and the like’) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate the present disclosure and does not pose a limitation on thescope of the present disclosure unless otherwise claimed. In addition,various modifications, combinations, and adaptations will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from thefollowing claims and equivalents thereof.

According to the present disclosure, as a height adjustment function ofa kiosk is performed only when necessary, the failure rate of the kioskmay be minimized.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, the kiosk mayselectively operate only when a person who intends to use the kioskapproaches, such that power consumption of the kiosk may be minimized.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, it is possible toprovide a service optimized for the characteristics of a person usingthe kiosk, such that the satisfaction of the person using the kiosk maybe maximized.

According to the present disclosure, there may be provided a kioskcapable of determining a height according to physical information of auser.

According to the present disclosure, there may be provided a kioskcapable of determining a height of the kiosk considering physicalinformation of a user and the position of an input pad.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling an intelligentbarrier-free kiosk, the method comprising: recognizing a moving object,which is within a preset distance from the kiosk and is approaching thekiosk; learning characteristic information of a recognized movingobject; determining, based on a result of the learning, whether a userrelated to the moving object intends to use the kiosk; and based ondetermining that the user intends to use the kiosk, changing a height ofthe kiosk.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the learning compriseslearning the characteristic information based on information obtained byphotographing the moving object by using at least one camera included inthe kiosk.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the learning compriseslearning the characteristic information based on information obtained byphotographing the moving object by using at least one of camerasinstalled on a front and a side of the kiosk.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the moving object is the user, and the recognized characteristicinformation of the moving object is a height of the user.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the moving object is the user, and the recognizedcharacteristic information of the moving object is information abouteyes of the user.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the informationabout the eyes comprises at least one of information about an iris andfocus information with respect to the kiosk.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the changing of the height comprises: calculating, based on theresult of the learning, a height optimized for the user; and adjustingthe height of the kiosk to be the calculated height.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject comprises information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the determining of whether the user intends to usethe kiosk comprises determining, based on a ratio between theinformation about the front and the information about other than thefront, whether the user intends to use the kiosk.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein the characteristic information of the recognized movingobject comprises information about a front of the recognized movingobject and information about other than the front of the recognizedmoving object, and the determining of whether the user intends to usethe kiosk comprises determining, based on an amount of the informationabout other than the front, whether the user intends to use the kiosk.10. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon aprogram for executing the method of claim
 1. 11. An intelligentbarrier-free kiosk comprising: a camera; and a processor, wherein thecamera is configured to recognize and photograph a moving object, whichis within a preset distance from the kiosk and is approaching the kiosk,and the processor is configured to learn characteristic information ofthe recognized moving object, determine, based on a result of thelearning, whether a user related to the moving object intends to use thekiosk, and, based on determining that the user intends to use the kiosk,change a height of the kiosk.